Striving
by MumblesSKS
Summary: What would the world be like if humans disappeared? Waylon Soares never believed he would find out that answer but life is full of unexpected surprises. How does the last living human deal with robots and androids trying to emulate mankind? About as well as you'd expect, of course.
1. Chapter 1

**So I've been on a Nier binge lately and noticed the rather abysmally low amount of Nier Automata stories. I actually came up with this idea in the midst of a really bad depressive episode and wonder how someone who is clinically depressed react to robots and androids striving to understand what it is and means to be human. Here's hoping I can deliver atleast my interpretation of how it would go. I hope you all enjoy this.**

* * *

What would the world look like in the future? Say a hundred years? Two hundred? Five? A thousand?

It's an age old question that has always been asked as the Earth was ever-changing. Man-made or otherwise, the world will continue to change for better or for worse.

For a time, a minuscule amount of time really, humans believed that they could dictate that change. Create a path of our design to suit our needs and desires.

What will the world look like in the future?

Waylon Soares stared out at the long dead carcass of what once was a great, beautiful city. Which exact city, he couldn't be sure of that but it didn't matter anymore. From metropolises like this to humble little towns, it was all the same. Rundown buildings overtaken by nature reasserting her dominance many, many years ago. Skyscrapers that shuddered and crumbled with every strong wind teetering over the thin line between a monument to past civilizations or just another crumpled heap of metal, concrete and lost memories.

In a way, it was amazing. He had finally found an answer to a question that people have always wondered.

What would a world without humans look like?

Waylon swung his legs as they dangled over the edge of the building he currently found himself on. No doubt, a rather precarious place to be seated but the view it provides was breathtaking. As far as he could see, the remnants of civilization stuck out like the bones of a dead animal half-buried in a desert. And it was quiet. God, was it quiet. A city like this, you would have heard for miles. Not anymore.

He didn't really mind the silence though. He always preferred to be a nice quiet place and not bothered by anyone. A little bit of social anxiety would do that. Despite that, this was not what he had in mind.

His hand unconsciously moved towards his chest and wrapped around a stone chiseled into an arrowhead. The piece was connected to a string of brown, red, dark green beads. A gift from a relative from... He wasn't even sure how long ago that was since there no current calendar. Squeezing the piece, Waylon took a deep breath and sighed. For once in his life, he truly wished he wasn't alone.

He wasn't even sure how he ended up here in the first place. He just remembered waking up one day and the world being like this. He didn't even remember much of his past life. Somethings he did know like the time period and maybe some family though not their faces but other than that, nothing. It was pretty awesome at first, running around, exploring, doing all kinds of stupid things without anyone telling him what he could and couldn't do. It didn't last, it couldn't last. He could have so much fun before he had to wake up and wonder: Where is everyone and what happened? Wandering through a few different towns did not offer any answers whatsoever atleast not until he reached the bigger cities. It didn't take a genius to know that some serious fighting went down at some point. Craters from bombs dotted the streets occasionally and bullet holes and slash marks could be seen almost everywhere. SkyNet had finally taken over he guessed.

As if to punctuate this point, a large metal object flew through the air past where he was sitting. The object sort of reminded him of an old toy robot, sort of like a chubbier verson of the Iron Giant or an old 40's robot toy though the lack of arms and the circular base were clearly where the differences began to become apparent. And that wasn't the only type either. There were humanoid ones, both large and small, ones that resembled animals such as moose or massive dinosaurs and giants that were more in line with the Iron Giant theme. More often than not they were unarmed (relatively speaking) but some did carry around crude swords or spears. He had been observing them for about two weeks now and after a small incident involving him trying to say hello that almost ended with him being turned into paste he could say with certainty that they weren't all that found of strangers. He found it was in his best interest to just avoid the all together. Interesting experience, regardless.

Given how close that one bot came, it was high time to make like a banana and get the hell out of dodge. Scooting back from the ledge, Waylon got to his feet and made sure his bag was secure and snug against him. Sadly, most of the stairs were out but somehow the elevator shaft and ladder was okay. While the building wasn't the tallest, it was still a guaranteed and swift death if he slipped and fell which meant he would need to be careful while going down the shaft.

Coming to the shaft, Waylon peeked over and almost immediately got a little woozy. It didn't hepp that it was almost entirely pitch black inside with only the barest amount of light slipping in from any other elevator doors that happened to be open. Vertigo was such a pain in the ass.

"All right, all right. just don't look down is all." Slowly, he gotten onto the ladder and began climbing down. Only fifteen floors till the bottom. Going up was so much easier since at least some floors still had stair access and he wouldn't have to use much energy. Going down though meant he had to take the ladder whole way and since he wasn't wearing gloves, he couldn't just slide down.

It was like the reverse of MGS: Snack Eater.

"What a thrill..."

 _In the interest of time_

"...still in a dreeeeeeaammm, SNAKE EATEEEEEEEERRRR."

Waylon practically collapsed on the ground once he reached the bottom. His arms and legs burned from exertion and his chest heaved up and down as he fought to regain his breath. Honestly, for a moment he contemplated whether it was even worth going up the building in the first place.

"Who am I kidding, it was totally worth it. Need to invest in more rope though." Sluggishly, he raised his arm up to his face and checked the time.

 **2:34 pm**

"I'm gonna just lay here a second. Got plenty of time left in the day." He huffed as he arm flopped back to his side. He knew he had to get back up and look for food but a quick nap wouldn't hurt right? It was nice and cool in the shaft so it would be fine, right?

* * *

The repeating crack of automatic weapons fire woke up Waylon from his nap. Rushing to his feet, he looked around frantically and was slightly relieved to see he was still in the elevator shaft. Still, the gunfire sounded really close. Outside of the building closetime though it definitely getting further away. He had seen robots with guns roaming about like the flyer from earlier but those were way to big to sound like what he was hearing outside. His short stint in the military taught him that much atleast.

Besides, what would the robots be shooting at anyways? There wasn't anyone left, right?

Waylon pulled himself out of the shaft and stayed close to the wall. The bottom floor was shaped like a giant atrium with two sets of stairs leading up to the second floor in the center of the room. His guess was that it may have been a high-end hotel in its heyday but that was besides the point. making his way through the massive room he could see out into the street a little bit, still sunny as can be. Waylon checked his watch.

 **8:47 pm**

He didn't think he'd ever get used to no night ever again. Still, it made it easier to see what was happening outside. The steady rhythm of fire kept its tempo as he moved forward and the sound of metal on concrete started to get louder. Waylon dashed into cover near the front entrance as about six bots ran forward towards the noise and their unforseen foe.

Logic demanded that Waylon should get to safety while he still had the chance but curiosity begged to learn who the robots were fighting. Peeking out he could see the way behind the robots were clear of any immediate threats. He hesitated, he would be hard pressed if he got into trouble but he needed to know what was going on right now especially since his hidey hole wasn't too far from here.

"Ah, fuck it."

The further he traveled the more spent casings he found and the robots were already a good distance ahead so he wouldn't have to worry about getting too close, plus all their attention was focused on where the fire was coming from. Stepping out of the building, he hugged the wall as much as he could as he jogged forward. The gunshots were getting louder the closer he got and he could just barely make out some other noises. Voices?

"Bad idea, bad idea, bad fucking idea."

Despite his nervousness and apprehension, he continued trailing the bots down the road until the sound of fire was almost all he could really hear. What lay ahead was like something out of The Terminator.

Just past the robots was a small group of humans firing at the bots. All round them were robot corpses riddled with bullet holes but it looked like they were being overrun. Waylon nearly rushed in to help out but held himself back. Just how was he supposed to help out? He was unarmed (not including a piece of metal he was using as a knife) and didn't have a plan. Then there was the fact that he didn't know if these people were friendly. For all he knew they could shoot him as soon as he showed up. There so many risks involved. He should have just ran when he had the chance.

Damn the risks. There were people in danger and he would damned if he was just going to sit here and watch. He needed to be smart about it though. His life was depending on it after all.

A bone-chilling scream filled the air as a bot struck one of the humans with its crude sword. Blood sprayed from the wound and Waylon had to wonder in morbid curiosity how the man wasn't cut clean in half from the blow. Needless to say, he emptied the contents of his stomach behind car he was using as cover.

It was a slaughter. One by one, the humans were cut down by the robots until one remained. and yet he didn't move, he couldn't. Waylon had been scared many times in his life, usually over trivial things like asking permission for something or wanting to talk with someone he liked but this...

Watching people be cut down effortlessly like lambs to the slaughter was the first time he felt true, crippling fear. Shaking with terror behind the old vehicle, Waylon watched as a particularly large robot impaled the final human on a spear and lifted her up. The lifeless eyes seemed to appraise the woman like a cat would before it killed its meal before it whipped her off the spear back towards where Waylon was hiding.

Waylon ducked and covered his mouth, stifling a scream as the woman landed right next to him with a wet thud. His shoulders heaved up and down as he fought to control his breathing to no avail. How was he supposed to stay calm after seeing something like that?

He had to get out of there. He had to get out of there right now. Leave the city entirely.

"Help...me...please..."

His breath hitched and he became deathly still. slowly looking down towards the body he could see the woman was looking right at him and clutching her bloody abdomen.

Waylon wasn't sure how he stared at her, perhaps too long since she simply repeated the words weakly. Slowly lowering his hands from his mouth he crept around the car and saw that the robots were just meandering about as if the didn't just massacre a group of people.

"Okay, okay." Waylon repeated, mostly to himself rather than the girl. "Just hang on." Snaking his arms around her back and under her legs, he helped her up and grunted. She was certainly heavier than she looked. Thankfully, he didn't have to travel far. Moving as quickly and as quietly as he could, Waylon carried the poor woman away from the scene of the massacre.

"T-Thank...you." the woman croaked, her head lolling about until it settled against his chest.

"Don't thank me just yet. We're not safe yet." He stammered, glancing back to make sure the bots weren't following him. "You got a name?"

"Huh?" She tried to tilt her head up to look at him but didn't have the strength.

"Your name? I'm Waylon."

"I'm...Praia. My name is Praia." She whispered.

"All right, just wait Praia. Gonna get you fixed up in no time." He hoped his voice wasn't as frantic as he thought it sounded. Last thing he needed was for Praia to start freaking out because of him. "Just hold on."

The makeshift door to his humble abode flew across the floor as he kicked it open. Sweat dripped down his face as hurry hurried into the home with Praia. The place wasn't really much to look at considering it was just one room with a table in the center and a bunch of rolls for bedding in the corner but it worked. Lying her down on the table, Waylon grimaced as he saw the giant tear in her raggedy sweater that was stained red.

Praia groaned and tried to sit up prompting Waylon to gently ease her back down onto the table. "Don't. You have to stay down if I'm going to fix this."

"I'll be fine." Her voice was raspy but sounded a bit better than before, though not by much. "In my cargo pocket..."

Waylon immediately began checking the dirty pockets and pulled out a tube full of...something. He couldn't see inside but it felt almost like a type of gel. "Okay, uh, is this some sort of healing gel or something?"

Praia murmured something unintelligible but didn't move. Good enough answer for him. Slowly he lifted up her sweater and undershirt to reveal the wound. Now the last three weeks have been some of the weirdest and scariest in his entire life but what saw next only further added just how much he was out of place.

Slowly he looked towards the woman's(?) face with a look that was a mix between confusion and fear.

"Just what the hell are you?"


	2. More Than A Machine

**Holy guacamole, it has been awhile everybody. First and foremost, I want to apologize for taking so long to get this out to you. It has been a crazy couple of months. Also I wanted to say thank you all so much. As of right now this story is at 22 favorites and 41 followers. That is freaking insane and I thank you all for giving this story a chance. So this chapter is a bit shorter than the last one but it helps get the ball rolling a bit more and Waylon learns a bit more about his guest. I hope you all enjoy.**

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Waylon's foot tapped rapidly against the floor as he leaned forward in his seat. His fingers laced together in a vice-like grip and his gaze focused at the individual chained to a support beam. The form did not move at all and if one looked close enough, they would notice that the shoulders did not rise and fall to show that they were breathing.

The woma-No. That was incorrect. The thing chained up like an animal had caused him no small amount of distress. What he had thought was another human like him, albeit female, was instead some sort of machine. But it looked so real. It had hair and skin and blood(?) and sounded like the real thing but it wasn't.

"What in the terminator, binary domain bullshit is this?" Waylon sat up in his chair and groaned, exasperated and tired all together. He ran a hand down his face as he tried to get a better idea of his situation. To be completely honest, he was feeling pretty lost at the moment. He hadn't slept more than a few hours since the night prior and instead was preparing his home and himself for when his houseguest finally woke up.

Robots and androids weren't foreign concepts to him. Alot of pop culture was centered around how robots or androids could be in society. Unfortunately, alot of those scenarios almost always ended with humanity being enslaved, going extinct, or who knows what. To have one in front of him right now, a real live android. He was both excited and terrified, mostly terrified. What if the android was hostile? What if humans were wiped out by androids? He needed to be cautious in handling this situation.

Hence, the android chained up tighter than a nuke base to a pole in the middle of the building he was currently calling home. It wasn't anything special, really. Just an empty warehouse that was more intact than most other buildings nearby. He couldn't begin to guess what it was used for since most of the machinery was to rusted and broken down to make heads or tails of anything. Hell, the place looked downright ancient sometimes. Waylon had opted to take one of the little siderooms as his place of rest since there was very little sunlight that actually reached into the room. Covering up the rest of the windows in the room and clearing up any debris made it into an actual liveable space.

Still, if she...it went berserk in here he would need to find a new home. Preferably, somewhere outside of the city away from all the excitement. But hopefully his new toys would put to rest the need to do so. Waylon hefted the rifle into his lap and gave it a once over. It was pretty plain to look at if he was honest. He expected something more futuristic or cool looking but no such luck. This rifle wouldn't look out of place in his time because of how normal it looked. The only noticable thing about it that was different was how heavy it was. The weapon was no bigger that a typical carbine but felt like he was holding an heavy machinegun.

As for how he got his hands on this weapon? After securing his 'guest', Waylon backtracked to where the battle took place and scavenged what he could off of the dead androids. Weapons, clothing that wasn't completely destroyed, ammo though the amount he actually got was nowhere near enough for the group size that was there. Must have ran through most of their ammo before he happened upon them. Still, it was better than nothing. Beggars can't be choosers, right?

And now he waited. It was only matter of time before the android woke up and he could finally get some answers. What the hell was it? Where exactly was he? What happened to the rest of humanity? The android didn't stir but Waylon didn't mind. He was patient and he had all the time in the world.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, hours into days. Four whole days had passed and the android hadn't moved an inch. Truthfully he didn't think he would have to wait this long and it was starting to make him tense. With the exception of going out for water and to check his traps for food Waylon hadn't done anything except watch the android. Maybe it was dead or deactivated or something.

Waylon checked his watch again. _01:43 a.m._

"This shit is getting old." He groaned tiredly. His eyes were getting heavier by the second any he knew he'd be asleep before he knew it. Cradling his rifle, Waylon allowed himself to lie down and try to get comfortable. "Please don't murder me in my sleep."

* * *

 ** _The Next Morning_**

When he first woke up in this madhouse, Waylon gave up on the idea of waking up to a pretty girl staring down at him smiling. Given that there were no girls around it would be pretty difficult for something like that to happen now. Quite frankly, if it were to happen now it would be likely he would be torn between jumping for joy and pissing his pants in fear. Well, lucky for him, he got to experience such a scenario now. The only downside being that the girl currently staring down at him wasn't a real girl and the expression on its face was murderous.

The grogginess he felt was sweeped away immediately as the android yanked him up from the ground and hoisted into the air with one hand. In retrospect, thinking that a couple of chains could hold and android was pretty stupid and Waylon could only choke a out a sigh at his stupidity.

"Why did you have me chained up?" The android snarled. Earlier he had hypothesized that the android may be stronger than him atleast but the fact that he, a grown adult male, was lifted from laying down to above the android's head with one hand was more than a little terrifying. If the warm and wet feeling going down his leg was any indication, his body was in agreement on just how terrifying a situation this was.

Waylon struggled in the angry android's grip trying to pry the hand open but only served to make it angrier and snarl. "You're not human. Wasn't sure if you'll kill me when you woke up."

The android looked at him incredulously and her grip slackened a bit making it easier to breath. "No shit I'm not human, you idiot. There are no humans left on earth. Haven't been for thousands of years."

The words hit Waylon like a freighter. His hands dropped to his sides and he stopped struggling against the android. "Humanity...is gone?"

Truthfully, he had feeling that was the case but he had hoped that maybe, just maybe, there were some hiding out somewhere in a bunker or something. But hearing it from someone else, someone that has been living her a lot longer than he has. Waylon could feel himself being lowered to his feet and the hand around his through release him but he still collapsed to his knees.

"H-Hey? Are you okay?" The android asked. It actually sounded concerned.

"How long?" His voice was low and meek.

"Uh, um, I think it's been around 10,000 years or-Holy Shit!"

He couldn't help it but the news was too much. So much that it literally made him throw up. His 'companion' looked equal parts horrified and disgusted which wasn't all that surprising since it probably never seen anything like that before. Wiping his mouth, Waylon let out a mirthless chuckle. "10,000 years. Jesus." He didn't know what he was feeling. Sadness? Hopelessness? Numb? He was quite literally the last human on Earth if the android was telling the truth. What happens now though? Does keep living on his own and move away from this place. Does he risk telling this android the truth about himself. Waylon looked at the rifle nearby. Does he...?

The android sidestepped the mess he left and kneeled down next to him. "How do you not know what happened?"

Waylon shook his head, brought out of his little internal meltdown. "I..." Should he risk telling it that he's human? The android looked almost exactly like a human excluding the inside. Why would it make itself look like that if it wasn't made by humans. Or maybe it was purposely made that way to trick humans back when they were still around. Damn paranoia. "I...I only woke up recently. I must have been deactivated all this time."

It was awful lie and Waylon wouldn't be surprised if it called him out on it. "What's the last thing you remember?" It asked.

Waylon shrugged. "Well the sun wasn't always out, for starters. There weren't any of those ugly-ass robots roaming around either. It was..." Thinking about what used to be actually brought a tear to his eyes. His family and friends, all gone now. Things like sports, movies, and flavorful food, gone. "It was home. People everywhere doing their thing."

"I'm sorry." A hand rested on his shoulder. Waylon lazily looked towards it and then it's owner. It's 'skin' was light brown just like his. Still looked youthful like it was about his age, if not a few years older. Curly, shoulder length hair that looked extremely lifelike. The only flaw was it's eyes. They didn't look completely fake but it was something he couldn't quite put his finger on. A little to glossy, the color a little too faded. If he didn't know that it was human, he would have found it very attractive. Even the hand looked and felt like the real thing.

Waylon nodded. "I'm sorry for chaining you up like that." The hand left his shoulder and helped him to his feet.

"Well, you did save my life so I guess I can let it slide." The android...No, she said with a smile and a wink. She held out her hand before him. "Let's try this again: I'm Praia."

Waylon looked at the hand for a moment but accepted it gingerly. He was both unnerved and amazed that it felt just like an actual human hand. "Waylon."

An awkward silence passed between the two as neither knew what to say. Mainly because he was trying to figure out how to deal with his current situation and Praia gazing around at his hovel.

"So, i guess you live here then?" She asked, looking around the place.

"It ain't pretty but it does it's job." He shrugged. He noticed her staring at something on the floor. Following her gaze he saw that it was the ririfle he salvaged. Waylon could feel himself tensing up, ready to defend from an attack but forced himself to calm down. "I'm sorry about your friends. When I went back they were all..." His voice trailed off.

"It's fine, We all knew the risks when we went out." Her tone of voice made it clear it was the opposite of fine. "I just..." He was amazed at how her voice cracked but immediately chastised himself for looking at things clinically. Still the fact that she was displaying a wide range of emotions was incredible.

He didn't really know how to comfort an android. Was it the same as comforting another human? Did she want to be left alone. "Fuck it." He muttered to himself.

Carefully and slowly, he reached over to her and pulled her into a somewhat awkward hug. Apparently, that was the right thing to do as Praia wrapped her arms him and began balling her eyes out into his chest. Waylon felt a pull at his heart and frowned. This android just lost all of her friends, almost dies, and wakes up to find herself chained by some yahoo who saved her. And she was actually destroyed by this. A machine was in his arms crying and he wasn't sure what was right, wrong, true, or false anymore. Slowly raising his hand he, began massaging her scalp and running his other hand up and down her back.

"It's okay, just let it all out." He wasn't sure how long the stood there holding each other like that but it was worth it if it helped Praia.

"I'm sorry. I'm okay now." Praia spoke between sniffles. "Thank you." She raised her head from his chest to look at him and Waylon could still see some tears breaking through. He was the one to break off the hug but kept his hands on her shoulders.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Praia. I can't even imagine how you must be feeling."

Praia let out a humorless laugh. "You're kidding, right? You're the one who woke up to find 10,000 years passed you by."

Waylon frowned. "I'll manage. Somehow."

Praia frowned at him disapprovingly but said nothing. "Hey, listen. You don't have to stay here by yourself." Waylon raised an eyebrow at her. "There is a whole community of more like us. It's a few days travel from here."

Waylon let go of Praia and took a couple of steps back. "That's, ummm, real nice of you."

Praia shook her head. "You saved me. The least I can do is offer you place where you'll be safer."

"I really appreciate that, Praia. I do but I'm not sure if that's best." A safe place would be amazing honestly. But he still didn't know enough about these androids to make a educated decision on telling he human. "My, uh, I have different needs than you all I'm. What with me being a way earlier model than you all."

"Waylon, please." Praia grabbed on to his arm and stared at him, determination fixed in to her face. "The machines have been making a push into this area for months and will soon take it over. Just..." She released his arm and sighed. "...Just come take a look at the place and if you don't like it we'll find somewhere else for you."

Waylon rested his hands on his hips and paced around as he considered the pros and cons.

"Please."

Waylon pinched his nose and sighed. "God damn it. Alright, fine. I'll come check this settlement you have."

Air rushed from his lungs as Praia wrapped him into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you, Waylon. You won't regret this."

"I really hope so.

* * *

 **We should be getting to the resistance camp next chapter as well some other surprises. Tell me what you think will happen or what you like about the story so far. Toodles.**


	3. Welcome Home

So that whole thing about the trip to the resistance camp taking only a few days. Yeah that wasn't true at all. So what was supposed to be a two day trip was actually longer. Apparently, androids are capable of moving much, much faster than humans are which explains why Waylon hadn't seen any working vehicles around here. Hence why they were on day three of their trip to the camp. At this rate, they would reach the camp in two more days according to Praia. Who needs a car when you can run over 45 mph. That was a doozy having to explain to Praia why he couldn't keep up.

 _I'm an early model designed for mainly housework and companionship._

Waylon was beginning to wonder just how deep of a hole he could dig himself into before the truth finally came out. Atleast he didn't have to explain eating or drinking to her. Apparently androids enjoyed eating and drinking despite not having a need to. They could get drunk as well apparently. Weird but not much weirder than an android capable of displaying convincing emotions. Waylon stewed on that tidbit on info for a few hours before silently thanking all the gods he possibly think of for the fact that there's still booze around. Considering how he felt about his current situation, he was sure he could clear out an entire brewery by himself. The universe owed him that much for the curveball it threw him.

The days passed by in a uneventful fashion thankfully. Neither of them felt comfortable with taking on any of the machines with such small numbers. Waylon didn't put up any fus fuss with that. Something about the fact that he is pretty flimsy compared to everything else here and likes his insides inside.

Waylon did learn more about Praia along the way though. Apparently, she's been roaming around for nearly 175 years. That's after she lost her memory as well. Way back when, she took a bad hit which damaged her memory circuit or whatever and had to pretty much reset. Pretty terrifying Waylon thought. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to one day wake up an not remember who he is or learn how to do basic functions. Other than that, Praia is a big fan of dancing and booze, so there's that fun tidbit.

"Come on! Just one?"

"Nope."

"Please."

"I'm good."

"It'll be so much fun though."

"That's a negative, Ghost Rider."

"..."

"Pouting isn't going to help you." _How can an android look adorable while pouting!?_

"..."

"Seriously..."

"..."

"Fine, goddamn it. But only one dance." Waylon threw hus arms out wide, exasperated.

Praia squealed and skipped on ahead having completely forgot they weren't trying to be noticed. Turning back around to face her weary companion, she bounced on her toes giddily. "I promise, you won't regret it. We both need a chance to unwind."

Waylon gave a noncommittal grunt and regarded her with some concern while she trekked off ahead. Praia sure had gotten over the deaths of her comrades rather quickly. Perhaps androids needed less time to deal with the trauma. Then again, how long did it take for him to accept his situation? A week? A week and some change? Or maybe she was simply acting this way so that she wouldn't drag down his spirits as well.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours, I wonder?"

"You think I'm pretty, huh?" She glanced over her shoulder with a sly grin.

Waylon couldn't blame the heated flush in his cheeks on the sun and the heat and nervously averted his gaze. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sparing a glance back at the android, he caught miss the blatant sway in her hips as she switched from her normal gait to something more sensual and coy. The clothes weren't skin tight or overly baggy on her, just snug enough that as his eyes drifted up her legs and followed her curves he could seriously ponder just how out there his preferences reached. A shawl covered covered everything just above her lower back but just made the sight more exotic. Dark brown almost black hair that curled up around a tanned face with grey eyes that looked just a tad out of place.

Realizing he was staring, Waylon thought it better to admire the intricacies of his shoelaces as he further questioned his preferences.

"You're not bad yourself, Waylon." The playful reply threatened to send his heart racing.

"We are not having this conversation!" The retort sounded a lot more desperate than he wanted.

"Not yet, anyway."

Waylon shot his head and tried to give off his best 'back off' glare.

"Yes, Waylon?" She asked sweetly, stopping and facing him. Unfair that she made it a point to stick her hip out to one side only further highlighting her form.

Waylon grimaced and quickly overtook her, bristling as he felt what assumed was a hand slide down his arm. "Let's keep moving, shall we?"

"After you." Praia was barely holding back the snicker.

"Ugh."

* * *

Waylon didn't know whether to be impressed or terrifed when he and Praia approached the resistance camp entrance. Shipping containers stacked three high blocking off the street with metal scrap jutting outward like spikes at the top. Waylon could make out silhouettes moving along the top with more rifles like the ones he and Praia currently had. It was only after he noticed Praia shrinking that he had realized he stopped moving.

If he weren't already sweating, he's sure he would be able to fill buckets with how nervous he was. Suddenly, coming here was seeming like a horrible idea. There's no way he could keep him being human a secret for long. Plus there's no telling how his host would react. How Praia would react.

He felt a gentle pressure engulf his and saw that it was Praia's own lifelike hand. "It's alright. We're safe now." Her eyes gazed at him reassuringly and she smiled nervously. He spared another glance at the camp and looked back to her nodding with a nervous smile of his own and squeezed her hand which she reciprocated. Waylon allowed her to lead him ever closer to the massive wall of shipping containers.

"Hold!" One of the androids atop the containers hollered, raising his hand for the pair to stop. "State your business."

Praia released Waylon's hand and he forced himself not to reach back for it as she took a few steps forward. "Hakan!? Is that you?!"

"Praia?! You're two weeks late you know." The man hollered with recognition. "Where's the rest of the group?"

Praia's head dropped at the question. "They didn't make it." Waylon gripped his rifle tighter as he heard the pain in her voice.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I am relieved at least someone came back." The man offered solemnly. Waylon stiffened when his gaze settled on him. "Who's your friend?"

"A friend. He saved my life when my group was ambushed." Praia looked back towards and flashed a grateful smile before turning back to the guard. "Thought it would be alright if i offered him a safer place to stay than where he was before."

The guard looked over Waylon and he felt himself straighten up. The guard smirked and gave a slight nod. "Welcome, Waylon. Thanks for getting this knucklehead out of trouble."

Waylon nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Just did what I thought was right."

"I'll let Anemone know your here. She'll want a debrief from you and will want to greet our guest." Hakan yelled before waving to someone on the other side of the containers.

With a lurch, the centermost containers began rising thanks to a overhead crane until there was enough room for the pair to walkthrough. Waylon fell into to step with Praia as they passed the threshold into the resistance camp and he noticed a similarly set up barricade on the otherside of the street with more guards. Turning into a shaded side alley, Waylon muttered a silent thanks for finally being out of the unrelenting sun and wiped his face with the tatered scatf he wore.

"You know, it always feels cramped and crowded here but I'm actually glad to be back. I missed it, i guess." Praia commented absently.

"Home is where the heart is or so the saying goes." Waylon shifted his rifle strap off of his neck.

Praia hummed in acknowledgement as the pair continued through the side alley. It wasn't long before they came out the alley and into a massive clearing that resembled a city square. Waylon stared in awe at the sudden bustle of countless androids came into view. Everywhere he looked there were androids meandering off to some task or just relaxing, talking to each other. A trend he noticed quickly was the patched up, shabby clothing that clearly most of the wore. It sort of reminded him of how people dressed in Zion in the Matrix movies. Tarps were strung up between the surrounding buildings providing a mostly shaded area which he couldn't be more thankful for.

"This is the plaza where most of us gather to hang out or meet with others." Praia explained gesturing to the square. "It also serves as a sortnof nexus between all other notable locations in the camp. Barracks, clinic, command center, armory, the recreation area."

Waylon nodded with awe as he followed his guide. "Looks very well established. I had no idea that there was something like this still around. I'm impressed."

"Thinking about staying?" The tone was hopeful with a subtle undercurrent of nervousness.

Waylon immediately felt a pang of guilt. From what he was seeing so far he liked, he liked it alot. But was it truly safe for someone like him? "We'll see." He answered plainly.

"I think you'll like it here. Plus, you know me so you won't be alone." Praia tried to sell the idea as she weaved deftly through the crowd. Waylon remained silent, not wanting to get her hopes up or discourage her.

"Where are we going?" He wondered as they cleared the square and came into a building furthest from where they entered.

"To Anemone. She's the leader for our merry little band." Praia answered with a slight smile. "A bit by the book but she's good people."

"What's left of the book anyways." He commented offhandedly, looking at the rustic interior.

Praia laughed and nodded. "True enough, but she looks out for her people and keeps us safe." The smile faded and was replaced with a frown. "She's not going to like hearing about..."

"I'm sorry." Waylon rested his hand on her shoulder. Praia placed her hand on top of his and gave a gentle squeeze letting her hand linger, nodding in thanks.

The rest of trip was spent in silence as the two came out the building into a smaller clearing. Waylon noticed this one was a lot more set up like a military command center. Terminals, maps, big ass table, the works. The androids that were in the area were hard at work either on the terminals or hunched over maps and documents talking in hushed tones. Standing in the middle of it all, staring at a massive map on an equally massive table was who he assumed was Anemone.

She dressed like most of the androids he had seen so far with the exception of the rather ornate hood and cape she wore. It was mainly green with golden trimmings along the outside and going down into an intricate pattern along the bottom. Waylon would be lying if he said he didn't want it for himself.

Praia gestured for him to hang back as she approached the android.

Taking a moment to brace herself, he assumed, Praia announced their presence. "Anemone?"

The android looked up from the map and Waylon was immediately drawn to her green eyes shining in the light. "Praia, it's a relief you've returned."

Praia nodded but looked a lot worse than she did a moment ago. Not surprising. Several moments passed and and Waylon could hear but not see the sniffles that were coming from the woman. "I'm so sorry. Everybody's...everybody's gone. There were so many machines, more than we could have anticipated. We were overwhelmed."

Waylon nearly stepped forward to comfort her. To say something to help but hesitated. He still didn't know what he could possibly say with it sounding inadequate.

Anemone frowned and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she muttered something under breath that he couldn't hear. "I never should have sent you all out that far. The cost was wasn't worth the effort." Her eyes bore into Praia and Waylon could see the sadness and regret conveyed through them. "I'm sorry putting you through that but I am relieved you made it back safely."

"I wouldn't have if it wasn't for Waylon. He saved my life." Taking that as his cue, Waylon stepped forward and nodded rerespectfully to Anemone.

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I wish it were under better circumstances." He spoke maintaining eye contact wit the emerald eyes.

Anemone nodded and offered a solemn smile. "You have my thanks for bringing atleast one of my people back home. Far too often that isn't the case."

"Just doing what I thought was right." He shrugged.

Anemone hummed thoughtfully. "And I shall do the same. You're more than welcome to stay here at the camp for as long as you wish. You'll be safe here though you'll be put work like everyone else here. Everyone pitches in here."

"Naturally. No freeloaders." Waylon agreed. Off to his side he could feel Praia's eyes burrowing into him awaiting his decision. "I'm still weighing my options. This is all still new to me."

Anemone chuckled. "Not many options to really consider my friend since we're the only outpost for miles. What do you mean 'new'?"

Waylon and Praia shared a look before she nodded with a small smile. Waylon took a deep breath buying himself time to get his story staright. "I've just woken up recently. Been up for just a few weeks. Last thing I remember before going dark was being with friends. Human friends."

Anemone stared at him in disbelief. "Humans? Humans haven't been on Earth in thousands of years!"

Waylon swallowed the lump growing in his throat. "What is the exact year?"

Anemone bit her lip and hesitated before answering. "11,945. We are currently in the 14th Machine War."

"Waylon!"

Waylon had to be held up by Praia to keep from collapsing on to the floor prompting Anemone to dash around the table and drawing a few curious glances from the other occupants in the vicinity. Praia told him that it had been thousands of years since humanity went to the moon, but to know the actual date. His heart threatened to beat out of his and his breathing became erratic.

"Over 8,000 years." He whispered.

"That's impossible." Anemone challenged. "That would put you at being around since the 2000's."

"2020 if you want to get technical." Waylon let out a snort. "This is insane."

"How are you still able to function? Nevermind that, how are you in such remarkable condition?" Anemone asked, helping him to his feet.

Waylon shrugged as he regained his balance. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't remember much of how i came to be in this situation."

Anemone eyed him skeptically and a chill ran down his spine. She didn't believe his story for a second or was very skeptical at the very least.

"Let's get him to the clinic. Have the medics run a diagnostic on his system." She suggested eyeing him critically. Waylon fought the urge to scream out that wasn't neccessary and hoped that she would attribute his unstableness to him still finding out the date.

"Ma'am." an unfamiliar voice called from one of the terminals. "We've detected a massive explosion coming from the coast."

Anemone gaze lingered on him before walking over to the android at the terminal. "Praia, take care of our guest. Make sure he's comfortable."

He couldn't help but think he just became a prsioner based on how that came. Regardless, Praia nodded and began guiding him out of the command center.

Waylon's mind raced and his heart was beating faster than he wanted. Anemone knew. Or at the very least she suspected he wasn't be straight with her, that much he was certain of. He had to get out of here. He needed to leave the camp. Get as far away from this place as possible.

The arm around his shoulder and guiding him gently through the camp reminded him of the other obstacle on the path to freedom. Praia was saying something, her voice trying to soothe his nerves but his jumbled mind couldn't make sense of it. Could he get past her? Would she try to hold him here? How would she react when she learned the truth?

Despite knowing each other just a short time, Waylon had admittedly grown a bit attached to the android. Partly because he did actually enjoy spending time with her and the other half being because he spent so long without contact with anyone. Maybe he should tell her the truth.

Wait, why was he getting so worked up over Praia? He's only known her a week.

A nudge brought Waylon out of his rambling and back to reality. Looking around he realized he was in a room with beds on either sides and about the size of a college dorm room. He seated on one of the beds and Praia was standing in front of him. She had a frown on her face and has watching him patiently.

Waylon averted his gaze muttering a curse. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She nodded.

Steeling himself, he looked to his companion and patted down on the bed next to him. Taking the hint, Praia let herself sit down next to him. The two remained silent few a few moments. Mentally, he began kicking himself. Here he was was wallowing in his own selfishness while Praia was dealing with her own issues. Even with android he was still a shitty partner. What a piece of work he was.

"How are you feeling?" He asked tentatively.

Praia didn't say anything for a few moments. "They're really gone."

"Yeah." Waylon nodded.

More silence.

"Do you..."

Waylon turned to her as she cut herself off. Praia's mouth opened and closed as she searched for the words.

"Do you think there's anything after? After we die, I mean." She asked looking to him. Waylon's heart wrenched as he watched her searching him for an answer.

"I'm not sure." He answered with a shrug. "I hope so."

"Me too."

Silence fell onto the pair once again and remained that way for an unknown amount of time. That was fine with him, especially since he needed a minute to accept the fact that an android asked him about the afterlife.

Feeling the mattress shift, he barely noticed the distance closed between the two of them until he felt their legs touching and her head resting on his shoulder. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her in closer to him. It wasn't much but if it helped them forget about their problems for just a little while then he didn't mind at all.

In fact, he was feeling a bit better already.

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 **Hey everybody! Pretty happy to finally get this out to you all. I'm nervous on how I did Anemone to be completely honest so I hope you like her. Finally I'm still iffy on how I want Waylon's and Praia's relationship to go. Both are dealing with a lot of trauma right now and Waylon is having a particularly hard time seeing Praia's issues as valid since he's coming to terms with the fact that androids aren't just circuits and wiring. Add in that Praia has developed an attachment to him since he did save her life. Both have alot to figure out in the coming chapters.**


	4. Not in Vain

**Alright so full-disclosure, I meant to have this chapter out to you all about a week and a half ago but I kinda forgot. Sorry for that everyone but I hope this chapter makes up for it.**

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He didn't know why it was happening or what could have triggered it. It was something he never experienced in his life before he came to this place. Normally in this situation he may have a friend that he could confide in, someone to help him figure out what was wrong. But these weren't normal times. Not anymore.

Waylon struggled to keep his breathing under control as he wiped tears from his eyes. They just wouldn't stop coming out and the harder he tried to hold it in, the more they kept coming. He didn't even know why he felt this way. It first started about four days after staying in the resistance camp. The next was three days later and this one was after another three. One second he would be fine joking with Praia and then out of nowhere he would need to excuse himself to the restroom or somewhere private to deal with his outburst. Praia, thankfully, wasn't the nosy type (not too much atleast) but he knew that she thought something was up. The way she looked at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention or how she's been more gentle than usual with him. He couldn't let her see him breaking down like this.

Praia had her own issues that she needed to resolve but she can't do that if she's fussing over him all the time. He didn't know anything about androids but he would hazard a guess that they dealt with their emotions pretty similar to humans if Praia was an example to go by. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt about how he's been to her. He felt like he was taking advantage of her and not offering anything in return.

She's an android. she was probably made specifically to serve regardless.

Waylon shook that particular thought from his mind. That was the last thing he needed to start thinking. Waylon took a deep breath and shuddered as he felt himself calming down. Praia had thankfully been called to a meeting with Anemone so he didn't have to worry about upsetting her.

Anemone.

He couldn't help his face scrunch into a grimace. It was clear that she didn't trust him at all. Not with the flimsy story he gave her. She wasn't subtle about how she felt either. While Anemone didn't explicitly say that she didn't trust him, the fact that he couldn't leave his room without being escorted by Praia made it perfectly clear what her feelings were. He didn't doubt that she had other resistance members watching him as well as a precaution. Praia isn't too thrilled about the situation either but seeing as Anemone is her leader, she doesn't say anything outright. Waylon couldn't really blame her either considering she was responsible for the entire of the camp he has given nothing to reassure her.

Waylon looked into the broken mirror in their bathroom. His eyes thankfully weren't puffy or too red from crying. Should clear up in no time, hopefully. A sad, tired looking face stared back at him showing just how much he had changed in the short time he had been here. He was thinner, not gaunt but definitely noticeable. His hair was longer and due for a cut. Maybe he'd do a bald look? He was keeping the moustache though. Maybe Praia could help out with that. Speaking of...

Waylon stepped out of the bathroom and looked around the room. Praia had been gone for awhile now and he was getting antsy being cooped up in the room. It didn't help that he didn't have much to keep him occupied. Records were sealed to him since he was an unknown still so reading was off the table. He could try meditating but wasn't sure he was quite ready to confront his problems like that just yet. He absently wondered if this is how pets felt when their owners would leave the house without them. Plopping down on his bed, Waylon sighing loudly. He needed to get out of his funk before Praia got back. She had done alot for him and he needed to return the favor somehow. Maybe he could cook something for her? She enjoyed trying new things even though she didn't have a need to do so. He could also fulfill his promise to her and dnace with her. Waylon checked his watch. It was about noon, lunch would be soon.

That was the biggest relief to one worry he had when Praia first brought up going to the camp. He remembered her mentioning that androids could eat and drink but he didn't think that they had actual set meals for the day. Actual food that tasted good, better than good even. According to the chef, he wanted to be sure that when humanity returned to Earth they would be treated to a top notch welcome back feast. Hearing that, lifted Waylon's spirit more than he could have imagined. When he asked what exactly he meant, the chef told him that what was left of humanity was apparently up on the moon. There was hope atleast. Hope that he would one day be among humans again.

But there was something that worried him. Would it be any different than being among androids? All of his friends and family were long dead so he wouldn't have anyone. And the one friend he did have now wasn't human anyways. How had humanity changed in these last 8,000 years? It was question that no one he talked to had been able to answer which was very strange. Thousands of years and the limit of knowledge on humans was based off of what could be gathered from ruins and books? Secondhand knowledge instead of from the source itself? That didn't make any sense.

Apparently, humanity only communicated with Earth through periodic broadcasts. The content of the broadcast left something to be desired considering it was basically reminding the androids who and why they were fighting along with some lackluster attempt at motivating them to continue the fight. It reminded him of the piss poor attempts of improving morale that his commanders tried to do back in his enlisted days. Out of touch and not genuine at all. More of a chore than anything, it seemed.

The resistance always seemed a bit happier whenever there was a broadcast though. It let them know that even after thousands of years, they weren't forgotten. Waylon could understand the sentiment behind that. Everybody needs something to fight for, something to keep them going when everything seems hopeless.

Still, there was something off about the broadcast. They were too mechanical and lackluster like they were reading from a script. Most unsettling to Waylon though was how the broadcast ended. Glory to Mankind. Something about that phrase seemed very off and forced to him. It seemed cultish even. Just what the hell had happened to humanity?

The door to the room opened and Waylon sat up with a smile. Quick as it appeared, his smile turned into a frown as he realized his visitor wasn't Praia.

"Anemone?"

The resistance leader regarded him with a neutral look as she closed the door behind her leaving just the two of them in the room. Waylon moved to stand but she stopped him with a wave of her hand. He hadn't talked to Anemone since they met and now she was her with him alone. Something was definitely up. A tense silence rulled the room as Waylon wondered what she could have wanted with him. Anemone's head tilted to the side as she looked him over. She must have picked up on his nervousness.

"You seem tense, Waylon. What's wrong?" She asked innocently.

Waylon managed to not fidget under her gaze. "The leader of the resistance is here to see me with no one else present. I have a feeling that this isn't a common occurrence around here."

"No, it isn't." Anemone shook her head.

"I'm going to guess you want something then?" He voice was surprisingly calm.

"I want to know who you really are." She answered directly without any hesitation. Waylon was actually surprised at how blunt she was, to the point that he was at a loss for words. "You claim to be an android like us, from the early 2000's no less."

"That is correct." Waylon answered.

"Well, where have you been all this time? Why didn't you seek out any other androids until now? Why do you look like you're in better condition than any other android her yet your more than likely an outdated model compared to the rest of us?" Her tone was accusatory and her steely expression pierced into his core.

"What's with the third degree? I haven't done anything wrong and I haven't made any trouble since I got here." Waylon snapped back.

Anemone conceded his point with a nod but he didn't doubt that it wouldn't help him here one bit. "You want to know what I think? I think you're hiding something." Thanks to many opportunities to practice, Waylon was able to keep his face neutral despite his heart racing. "There's something you're not telling me which I get. You don't know me. But then again, you also haven't told Praia, right?"

His face scrunched into a glare. "I don't know what you're talking about." He hissed.

Anemone scoffed. "Don't pretend you care for her if you've been lying to her face all this time." She was right, he hated it but she was absolutely right. Waylon had been hiding him being a human from her since they met. "She cares for you, Waylon. She really does but I don't see how you deserve any of it from her right now."

"Well that makes two of us then." He shrugged looking away from the android.

Anemone actually looked surprised before she sighed, taking a seat on Praia's bed and staring at him. She remained quiet for a few moments before she finally spoke again. "Our medics are currently away but should be arriving no later than tomorrow evening. If you want to stay here at the camp then you will undergo a full mental and physical diagnostic. Whatever secrets you have, we will find them no matter how hard you try to hide them." Waylon sighed but wasn't surprised. He figured something like this was gonna happen and was only surprised it took this long. Guess he knew why now.

"Praia is someone close to me. You are an unknown unwilling to tell anyone about who you are. Who you actually are." The words were sharp as they came out. "Now I don't buy your story for a second but I can't force you to speak if you don't want to. But if anything happens to her I promise that I will make you suffer. You will not have a quick death."

Despite the temperature being warm, Waylon felt a cold shiver run up and down his spine. He had no doubt in his mind that Anemone would make good on her threat if it came to it. It actually put things in perspective for him no that his life was in very real danger. Why was he still hiding the fact that he was a human? Based on everything that he's learned of the past couple of days, the androids are his allies and wouldn't dream of hurting him. So what was holding him back?

Praia's face appeared in his mind. He didn't have to play dumb on why he thought of her. He was scared of how she would react. Would she be angry at him for lying? Would she brush it off and say it didn't affect their friendship? Would she turn fanatical, obsessed that there was finally a real live human near her? That all her years of fighting and struggling and suffering weren't in vain. What if she wanted nothing to do with him afterwards? What would happen to him afterwards for that matter?

"I can see the gears turning." Anemone spoke up, drawing him away from his thoughts. "Do you have anything you want to say before I leave?"

Waylon closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to wrestle with each other for a bit. He had to tell the truth. He couldn't lie to Praia anymore and he didn't want to die for something that could avoided easily. Anemone, thankfully, didn't rush him or say anything for thay matter. She just waited. Finally, Waylon opened his eyes.

"I'll talk but only if it's with just you and Praia." He answered, his decision made.

"Very well." Anemone didn't smile only giving a small nod. Turning head towards the door Anemone called out to the closed door. "You can come in now."

Almost hesitantly, the door opened and Praia walked into the room, closing the door behind her. A small sense of relief washed over Waylon but more so he felt nervous, scared of what he was about to do. She was definitely just as nervous as him but was doing a good job of concealing it. It was for the best though, he had to believe that everything would work out in the end.

"Alright, it's just us here. What is it you want to say?"

Waylon looked between the two but let his gaze linger on Praia a bit longer than usual. Taking a deep breath, Waylon gathered his courage and sat up starighter than he had been.

"There's no easy way to say this and it's going to make me sound insane to you both, honestly. So I'm just going to say it." Waylon opened his mouth and closed it as the words got stuck in his throat. The androids unconsciously began leaning closer to him eager to hear what it was he had to say.

"I'm human."

There. He said it. His secret was out in the open. He couldn't tell how Praia and Anemone were reacting since his eyes were squeezed shut and his whole body was rigid as a board. Someone sighed. Waylon opened his eyes in confusion and saw Anemone pinching the bridge of her nose clearly frustrated and Praia looked more confused than anything.

Anemone dropped her hand and glared daggers at him. "You know, I was actually hoping that you would take this seriously but instead you have wasted our time."

"I'm not wasting your time. I'm telling the truth." Waylon almost shouted but just barely managed to keep his voice down.

"Waylon, humans have not been on Earth in thousands of years of launched any colonization attempts to Earth." Praia finally spoke up. "What you're saying is just not possible."

"I have lost everything!" He shot to his feet, shouting and startling both androids. He was passed caring if anybody heard. "My life, my family, my friends! Everything I know is gone and now I'm trapped in this fucking empty world. Alone."

Memories of the past flashed throughout his mind as his eyes began to water. Faces he recognized but couldn't put names to faded in and out of his minds eye. Visions of better days at the beach or the movies with nameless faces and the subtle feeling of a past lovers soft kiss. All of it was gone. Nothing more than reminders of what he did not have any longer. Waylon turned away from the pair and leaned against against the dresser by his bed.

"When I first woke up I was so scared. Everyone was gone and everything was destroyed. I wandered aimlessly, hoping that I would run into someone. Anyone. Just so that I could know I'm not alone."

Waylon clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in anger. He wanted to scream, he wanted rage at everything around him and tear the room apart. Waylon took a few deep breaths and let the anger inside of him subside partially. He turned back and faced the androids. Anemone was also standing, her stance tense like a coil waiting to spring. Praia was still seated but her features were more neutral than anything.

Wait. That's it. Why didn't he think of this earlier.

"I've seen inside of you." He directed towards Praia who shot him a confused look. "Despite how much you made to look like and act like humans, you can't copy everything."

Waylon took off his shirt drawing skeptical glances from Anemone and Praia. "You want proof? I'll give you proof."

Looking Praia in her eyes he held out his hand. Praia exchanged a look with Anemone who nodded slowly but remained ready to provide aid in case something happened. Rising to her feet Praia, slowly moved closer to Waylon and held out her hand. Waylon felt his features soften considerably as he gently took her hand in his and guided it to his chest. He offered a small smile before averting his eyes from hers. Had this been any other situation this might even be considered romantic but now was not the case.

Warm.

That's how her hand felt pressed against his chest. He wasn't opposed to the feeling at all. Praia's face widened with shock as she looked at her hand and then to his face and back to her hand.

"This can't be real." She sounded out breath like she had forgotten how to breath. "This can't be real."

Praia dropped her hand from his chest and just as quickly grabbed Anemone's and started dragging it towards where her hand just was. Anemone flinched and yanked her hand back just before she made contact but Praia had a firm grip. Praia pleaded to Anemone with her eyes but Anemone still looked apprehensive.

"Anemone, this is real. It's really real." Praia reassured her friend despite sounding like she was on the verge of tears. Anemone looked cautiously between the two but allowed Praia to guide her the rest of the way.

Anemone's eyes widened and covered her mouth with her opposite hand stifling a choked gasp. Both Waylon and Praia had to catch Anemone who had nearly collapsed and was struggling and failing to keep the tears out of her eyes. Waylon did not know how long he stayed on the floor with the two women but it did not matter. This was something more important to them than he could ever realize.

"I can't believe it." Anemone let out a short laugh as Praia and Waylon helped her back to her feet. "For so long I've fought this war. Longer than I can remember. I've lost more friends and comrades than I can count to the machines and I began to wonder if it was all in vain. Thousands of years with seeing a single human other than a piss poor morale booster on the radio and I began to think that the people we were fighting for had forsaken us. Abandoned us."

Waylon's chest tightened as Anemone looked at him in away that looked completely foreign when compared to the calm collected look she usually wore. Hopeful, grateful, relieved. Hesitantly, she laid her hand over his racing heart again. "But this, you being here, proves that all of our sacrifices have meant something. That we are not alone and we are still valued."

Anemone let her hand fall back to her side as she stepped back, bowing her head. A moment passed and Waylon was graced with a rare but beautiful sight, Anemone lifted her head and had a genuine full-face smile.

"Thank you."

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 **I know, I know. The ending for this chapter does seem abrupt but honestly I couldn't think of much else to add. I also kinda feel bad since Praia had a pretty subdued role this chapter compared to Anemone. And yeah, I know the reveal of Waylon being human was cheesy but I like, damn it. Nothing wrong with some cheese. Things are getting interesting atleast and I haven't even introduced the Yorha party or the twins yet. Soon, my friends. Very soon. Let me know what you guys and gals think of this chapter. Toodles**


	5. Redheaded Twins

**You all said you didn't mind cheese so here! A bit more cheesy goodness for everyone with some angst and fluff for flavor. Also sorry for the delay, been working getting things organized for a few classes I have to teach so that's been my main focus as of late. Updates will still come so don't worry. For the new readers who joined up in the last month? Welcome and thank you for taking a chance with this. This story is officially at 100 followers and almost 6,000 views. Freaking indane, I tell ya. Seeing all the new follower notifications makes me so happy and motivated to keep up the awesome (I hope) content for you all.**

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"Can you please stop that?"

"What?"

"The sideways glances. You keep sneaking looks at me and then turn away when I catch you."

"You do the same to me with your wandering eyes."

"I don't...know what you're talking about. And stop hovering."

"Can you blame me? I mean, you're a real, live-"

Waylon directed a glare at his giddy companion who offered an innocent smile. A smile that had no business looking so damn cute. He turned rather pointedly away from the android and quickened his pace through the camp courtyard. Damn his confusing hormones.

"You're acting rather cavalier of Anemone's request, aren't you?" Waylon chastised only to be waved off dismissively.

"Relax, Waylon. I'm not careless enough to go shouting out your...nature to the entirety of the camp. Much as I disagree with this course of action." She finished with a grumble.

Following Waylon's admittance to being human, Anemone had thought it best that he keep his true nature under wraps for the time being. Praia had disagreed with this course of action believing the camp and the by extension the entirety of the resistance deserved to know that their reason for fighting was real. Anemone rightfully overruled her saying that spreading the news prematurely without preparing properly was begging for trouble. News of a human on Earth would spread like wildfire and it would no doubt reach the machines. Simply put, Waylon will have a giant fucking bullseye on his back.

"It's the right move." He reassured her, patting her on the shoulder. "I wouldn't forgive myself if these people all got killed because of me."

A somber look made it's way onto Praia's face. "It's what we were made for, Waylon. Any android here would glady give their life to protect a human. To protect you." She stopped and turned face him, her expression set in grim determination. "That includes me."

Waylon shifted uncomfortably on his feet unsure of how to respond. He nervously looked back the tanned android knew she meant what she said, wholeheartedly. Figuratively speaking, anways. "You've all suffered so much. Given up so much for something you haven't even seen until now. You, especially."

There was a slight crack in Praia's expression. He had touched close to home and internally kicked himself. "I'd say you more than earned the right to live your own lives how you see fit."

Praia smiled and laughed softly. "Coming from you, that means more than you could imagine."

Tentatively and completely unexpectedly, Praia took his hands in hers and squeezed them gently. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to find the words she wanted to say and Waylon was absolutely captivated. He could feel the brush of fabric at his chest as he closed the distance between them without really noticing. How was it he felt like he was running a marathon when they had been standing still this entire time?

Praia looked up at him and had an expression he had yet to see on her since they first met. A vulnerable, yearning look that made his heart skip a couple of beats and made him more than a little happy that he was the recipient of the look.

"You've saved my life and put yourself in great danger while doing so. I can never repay you for doing that, Waylon."

They were so close now. When did he wrap his arm around her waist? When did her face get so close to his?

"You, uh...you." It was getting really hard to string together a coherent thought, even more so since he could have sworn he felt her lips lightly brush across his.

"Ahem." A cough interrupted whatever action that was about to occur.

Both he and Praia seemed to break out of whatever it was that was happening between and immediately stepped more than a few paces away from each other. Waylon didn't think he could get anymore embarrassed than he was now and judging by the glances he aimed towards Praia, she was in the same boat.

"Aw come on, Popola. We were just getting to the juicy part." A second voice joined in whining in a teasing tone.

Waylon forced himself to look at the two intruders and was treated to two new aandroids he hadn't seen around the camp yet. And boy, did these two stick out compared to the other androids he had seen wandering around. Both were nearly identical to each other from their pale faces to their outfit which consisted of a white shirt with a black collar and shoulders that flowed down to their mid-thigh (which strangely was parted on the left side up to their ribs), red jeans with black kneepads and black boots. The only thing thing that helped differentiate the pair was their hair, one having straight, carefully maintained hair and the other being wild and almost unkempt.

"Can we help you?" He asked, more than alittle miffed at the twins interruption.

"You can. Well, we can help you is the more accurate thing to say unless you're too busy, that is?" The wild-haired one teased, pointing to Waylon and Praia.

The straight-haired one sighed and gave her twin a smack on the arm. "Forgive my sister, she can be more than a little rude at times. I'm Popola and this is Devola."

"We're the doctors Anemone mentioned. The closest thing to doctors atleast." Devola added nonchalantly with a shrug.

Waylon nodded, remembering Anemone mentioning wanting to give him a once over to insure nothing was wrong with him. "I'm guessing Anemone would like to hear results sooner rather than later then?"

"Anemone has a lot on her plate. Doing this will help ease her burden. For now, atleast." Popola answered sagely.

"You're friend can find something else to occupy herself, assuming she can keep her urges in check." Devola mocked while focusing a glare on Praia.

Praia took a stiff step forward, matching the fiery-haired twin before Waylon held out an arm seeing atopping the fight be for it could really start. "It's okay. She was there with Anemone and I. She knows everything."

Popola frowned and nodded. "I see. Regardless, it's best if just you comes along since we don't want to raise suspicions."

"Anymore suspicions is more accurate." Devola added, glancing off towards the sides. Following her line of sight, Waylon could see more than a few onlookers watching them with equal parts curiosity and disdain.

"They look happy." He commented offhandedly.

"Devola and Popola aren't exactly popular around here." Praia explained with barely concealed sneer. "I'll be around when these two are finished doing whatever it is they need to do." Praia reassured Waylon, lightly resting a hand on his elbow.

"Don't think this changes anything." Praia warned as she stalked off looking more tense than Waylon had ever seen her.

"Always love our little chats, Praia." Devola responded teasingly, earning a elbow from Popola. Waylon's gaze lingered on Praia's retreating form as he pondered what her parting comment meant before allowing himself to be led away by the twins.

The walk towards the twins 'lab' was an uncomfortable experience for Waylon. Glares from seemingly the entire camp was aimed the twins but they took it in stride. Completely unbothered like it was business as usual. Waylon was no stranger to hearing about people not well liked but even they had a few friends they could rely on. Devola and Popola didn't have any whatsoever. What could they have possibly done to be vilified by the entire camp?

The 'lab' turned out to be alot better equipped and cleaner than Waylon had first imagined. So much of the camp showed much signs of aging and disrepair, even with reconstruction and renewal efforts, that seeing an actual clean area was a bit of a shock for Waylon. Cleaner than usual atleast.

"Welcome to our lab, Waylon." Popola announced walking towards a table with a computer and began typing into it. "Make yourself comfortable and we'll begin shortly."

"Mi casa es su casa." Devola made a sweeping gesture to the lab before guiding him towards a table. "Ready to play guinea pig for us?"

"As long is it doesn't involve petroleum jelly and rubber gloves." Waylon smirked receiving a wide smile from Devola.

"I like this guy, Popola."

Waylon glanced around the lab curiously. While it wasn't anything super nice or pretty, there were more than a few complex machines and devices scattered around the room which was easily the size of a entire apartment _sans_ walls.

Popola seemed to notice his curiosity from behind her terminal and spoke up. "We usually treat critically wounded androids in here. Swapping parts, reconnecting things, that sort of job. But we've made some modifications to accommodate you and verify just what exactly you are."

Waylon grimaced slightly. "You make it sound like I'm a mutant or something."

"You very well might be. It has been thousands of years, who knows what changes your body and humans in general have under gone in that time frame." Popola explained in a clinical tone, still typing away.

"Well, you don't have any extra or missing body parts that I can see so don't worry too much." Devola reassured though her tone is teasing.

"So much for becoming a superhero." Waylon sighed with mock sadness.

"Alright, enough chit chat. Strip." Devola commanded.

Waylon paused and looked between the twins. "I'm sorry?"

"Take. Your. Clothes. Off."

"We need to ensure your healthy and there's nothing wrong on the surface level." Popola explained coming out from behind the computer. "After that we can begin the more in depth testing."

Waylon groaned as he slowly and reluctantly began stripping his clothes. "I think I would have noticed if something was wrong with me."

"A second opinion wouldn't hurt though. You might've overlooked something." Popola countered.

She was right. He didn't like it but she was right. And so he kept stripping. Finally down to his boxers, Waylon threw his arms out and spun in a circle. "Happy?"

"Those need to to come off too." Devola pointed aat the boxers witha cheeky grin. She was enjoying this way to much.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"This is a for your own good, Waylon. This can go as quickly or as slowly as you make it."

Waylon frowned grumbled something about perverted androids and embarrassment but dropped the boxers. Resting both hands on his hips he looked away not bothering to hide the embarrassed and annoyed look on his face. "Let's just get this done."

When he stripped, Waylon had hoped that it would be a quick check and then be done with it. Luck was a cruel mistress however. Turns out they needed him to perform an ungodly amount of stretches and exercises to determine if he had full range of motion, any deformities, or any other issues that could present a problem for his wellbeing. By the time he had his clothes back on, Waylon was understandably miffed.

"Don't be such a sour puss, Waylon. We're almost done now." Devola smacked him on the shoulder jostling him right as Popola was about to take a blood sample.

"Maybe don't push him while I'm trying to take a sample? Last thing he needs is to be bleeding out out on the floor." Popola growled in an irritated voice.

"Alright, alright." Devola waved off the comment. Silence decided on the trio as they worked and gathered more samples. Blood, saliva, skin, the works. Waylon was a little disappointed by the silence since it gave way to his mind wandering. His thoughts went back to the animosity displayed towards the twins. What did they do to deserve that?

"Devola, Popola?"

"Yes?"

"Mhm?"

Waylon thought carefully about what he wanted to ask as he layed down on table connected to some giant contraption that was apparently supposed to scan him. "How are you two so nonchalant about the looks everyone else gives you? I mean...it really seems like nobody likes you at all."

Popola and Devola stopped what they wewere doing and shared a look. Waylon definitely noticed how sad and resigned both of them looked before answering.

"Such is the way of the world, Waylon. Some people just aren't that popular." Devola tried to answer flippantly but her usual cheer wasn't all there.

"We're used to this treatment. You don't need to concern yourself with our wellbeing." Popola answered somberly.

"Why not? It seems pretty messed up." Waylon retorted. "You guys are pretty alright to me. Well, not so much Devola...ow. It was a joke."

Waylon rubbed his arm and aimed a halfhearted glare at the wild-haired twin. On her face was a soft smile, completely different than her usual cocky one and it looked almost out of place though not unwelcome. Looking over to Popola he could see her wearing a similar soft smile. Something inside of him made him suddenly feel for the twins as he regarded just how sad the smiles were. Have they truly been so deprived of basic common decency?

"Thank you, Waylon. Truly." Popola looked him in the eye and smiled just a bit more.

A light shove directed his attention to Devola who was looking a sheepishly but still smiling as well. "Guess you're not all that bad either."

Waylon laid back down on the table and managed to smother the frown and force a smile that wasn't completely fabricated. More questions have arrived on the horizon and Waylon wasn't entirely sure he wanted to find their answers.


	6. You Call That A Plan?

**Hey beautiful people. Figured i kept you guys waiting long enough for this chapter (4 goddamn months, sheesh). I originally planned for this chapter to be much longer but life has be getting in the way lately so i haven't been writing as much. Still, I wanted to get out something for you all. Don't worry though. Next chapter will see two certain someones finally showing up as well as something that some of you have been hoping for.**

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Monotony.

Something that had become the norm for Waylon for the last two weeks that he had been in camp. Wake up, eat, help out in the camp (the kitchen and garden specifically), workout, then go to bed. Rinse and repeat. Atleast in his time he could pass the time with television or video games or reading but that wasn't the case anymore. Books and CD's were something of a rarity now thus being highly sought after complacency and stagnation was getting to him now.

Devola and Popola added some much needed variety to the mix. Devola was always good for a laugh or some lighthearted teasing whereas Popola was good for getting him update to date on what's happened in humanity's absence. Still, she joined on the fun occasionally. Unfortunately, they had left recently on another assignment from Anemone. No word on when they'll be back though Devola demanded that when that day came, there would be alot of drinks involved. Hopefully, no more tests though.

It was unfortunate because he was rather fond of the twins. Besides them, he only had Praia to talk to really. But she had been gone for the past couple of days on assignment as well. When he tried fishing for answers she only mentioned it was something important.

Anemone, while considerably warmer than their initial encounter, was still holding on to some reservations regarding him. Not surprisingbut it was understandable. Add in the fact that she was busy with dealing with the neverending life of being a leader and all the not-so-good responsibilities that came with it. He did not envy her one bit but she seemed to be taking her duties in stride.

That's probably why it was all the more surprising when he found Anemone waiting for him in his room. Granted, it was her camp so she could go wherever she pleased but it was still not something he was expecting.

"I must admit, I'm a little surprised to see you here, Anemone. " Waylon broke the ice, dropping his dirty gloves on the nightstand at the end of his bed.

Anemone shrugged lamely. "I was close by. Figured I'd swing by and see how you were doing."

"Uh-huh." He didn't believe that for second. Someone as busy as Anemone didn't just do social calls for the hell of it. Something was up and clearly that something involved him. "I'm alright, I suppose. Feeling a little restless."

"KP and garden duty not doing it for you, huh?" She teased with a smirk.

"I prefer something a little more kinetic and useful." He answered with a shrug

Anemone raised an eyebrow. "Cooking and raising crops for the camp isn't useful?"

"Technically, you all don't have to eat food." Waylon swore he saw part of his brain with how hard he rolled his eyes. "It's more of a..." He snapped his fingers a few times trying to think of an appropriate word, "...hobby for everyone. Or a way to be closer to humans according to some of the folks out there."

Anemone nodded and conceded his point. "Fair enough. Fortunately for you, I may have something you'll be interested in."

"Oh, yeah?" Anemone nodded with smile, it was slightly strained though. "What is this something you're referring to?"

She motioned for him to sit on his bed while she took her place on Praia's bed across from his. "Two weeks ago, we detected a massive explosion about two klicks off the coast." Waylon vaguely remembered hearing something along those lines when he and Praia first arrived in camp. "Turns out the cause of the explosion was a black box detonation."

Waylon frowned at that tidbit of information. A detonation of any kind was never good news. "That doesn't sound good at all. Is it a weapon the machines are utilizing?"

Anemone actually shivered at the notion and shook her head vigorously. "Dear God, no! If the machines had access to those then we'd really be in trouble."

"Phew. That's a relief." Waylon felt himself relax a little bit. "So what is it then?"

"Think of black boxes like mini fusion reactors. It's like a power source for androids. Typically, they're stable and stored inside of an android but if two androids were to take theirs out and try to connect the two..."

"Train go boom?" Waylon asked cheekily after letting out a long whistle.

"What?"

Waylon shook his head and muttered something under his breath. "Nothing. So pretty much connecting two will cause a sort of reaction then, yes?"

"Exactly." Anemone nodded. "The boxes pretty much overload as a result and cause a massive explosion. I can count on one hand how many times it's actually been done. It's typically a last resort and even then it probably won't be utilized."

"Alright, so how does this relate then."

"The explosion was caused by Yorha androids conducting a mission in the region. Yorha High Command wants to start conducting more operations in the area so they have asked to use this camp as a staging area for their units. Typically, this wouldn't be an issue since we're all in this fight together but there's an unforeseen complication now." It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Anemone was implying.

"Me." Waylon stated simply.

"You." She nodded in confirmation. "I haven't explicitly said that there is a human in the camp but that there is something here that they would really appreciate being made aware of."

"So you want me to stay in the camp until they arrive then?" Waylon surmised with a huff, flopping down on to his bed.

Anemone rose to her feet and walked towards the door, hands on hips, and sighed. "Ideally, yes. That would be the case. I would prefer for you to stay here where it's safe." She turned to him with a face full of grim reluctance.

"But?"

Another sigh escaped her. "But I know you've been itching to get out the camp and frankly, I don't have enough bodies on hand to take away from their duties to act as guides for Yorha troops."

Waylon shot back up and was on his feet before she could finish. He fixed with a surprised look. Excitement was rushing through him now. Was she really asking what he thought she was? "Anemone? Are you being for real, right now?"

"Look, I'm gonna shoot straight with you. If you really wanted to, you could leave whenever you wanted." Anemone looked really conflicted as she spoke but continued. "If you were another android, then I could forbid it. Order you not to leave the compound..."

"But since I'm human, technically that means I'm your boss." Anemone nodded stiffly but remained silent. He could definitely see how things could become uncomfortable or complicated for her. "Why come to me with this in the first place if you're against the idea?"

"Like I said before, I don't have enough people to spare from their duties. Preparations are being made to accommodate the incoming Yorha personnel. Extra quarters, secure terminals for communication and such, the works." Anemone looked liked she wanted to say more but hesitated. Waylon could see the conflicting thoughts working in her head. "You being here presents an opportunity that I should take despite it being underhanded."

Waylon shrugged and urged her to continue. "Well, what is it?"

Anemone stared in to his eyes, searching for something he couldn't guess. Waylon felt himself tense slightly but didn't back down from it. Whatever she was looking, she found it and looked as if she was bracing herself.

"We are undermanned here and everyday we lose more and more of our people to the machines." Anemone's tone was deadly serious as she spoke. "What I am hoping for is that once Yorha learns of your nature, they'll send more much-needed support here in order to protect you. Personnel that will be posted her indefinitely, perhaps. Hence why I have my people working on establishing quarters for Yorha personnel."

Waylon whistled in a mix of shock and awe. "Devious, I like it. But it begs the question: Why haven't you requested aid from them before?"

"You think I haven't?!" Anemone shot back bitterly. Waylon raised his hands in a placating manner and Anemone recoiled as she realized her outburst. "Sorry. I've reached out to Yorha many times in the past but unless it's pertinent to their current operations then we can forget about receiving any long term support. Sure, they'll sometimes send a team that will clear out a sector here and there but once their job is done they just leave. We are holding on by just a thread here, Waylon."

"Does the rest of the camp know this?" He inquired.

"I'm sure there's rumors that have been going around but it all just boils down to us embracing the suck." Anemone answered, running a hand down her face and groaning. "Right now, I am stuck with putting the needs of my people first or prioritizing your safety."

"Why not just have them meet me here if it's that much of an issue?" Waylon asked confused, this whole situation seemed really roundabout and needlessly complicated but what did he know.

"Yorha and the Resistance have varying opinions on what is important." The disdainful answer was plain as day. "Yorha's one and only priority is to exterminate the machines in the name of mankind. The resistance has the same objective but we also have to live here. We will fight the machines to the last if we have to but we are also fighting for a home.

Anemone gestured around the room with a hopeless expression. "This...isn't living. This is just surviving and we are barely doing that."

"Still haven't answered my question."

"I want to light a fire under Yorha's ass and get my people the support they need!" It wasn't quite a yell but the force and ferocity was there. The determination in Anemone's eyes were pretty damn palpable. "Once Yorha discovers you just out in the open instead of somewhere safe, they'll move heaven and earth to fix that. Our camp is the closest refuge near the rendezvous point and I am certain they will deploy more forces here in order to protect you.

"Risky. So I'm just a convenient tool at your disposal then?" Waylon asked in a neutral voice.

"Call me out if you must but I need to look after the welfare of my people. I won't apologize for that." Anemone retorted boldly.

A tense aura filled the room as the human and android stared each other down, neither budging an inch. After what seemed like forever, Waylon smirked and held out his hand.

"All right, Anemone. What can I do to help?"


	7. A Moment to Rest Pt1

There's a sense of dark beauty when you're wandering in a post-apocalyptic world. The familiarity of wandering through a city that once was home to millions was there but greatly overshadowed by the apparent reclamation act mother nature put into effect over the course of time. Roots sprouted from cracks in concrete roads and trees grew alongside the remains of skyscrapers, even incorporating them into their growth. Waylon had watched movies and shows that depicted what would happen to the world in the absence of humanity but none of them could compare to the real thing.

 _Nature always wins._

The quote from an old Batman game popped up in his head more than a few times already. More than a few times he caught himself gawking at the change much to the amusement of his traveling companion. Speaking of his traveling companion...

Waylon looked over towards the familiar android who was perched against nearby tree, a rather gentle and fond smile on her face as she watched him. The attraction was clearly there and he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel the same. It's funny, they've been doing this whole song and dance with each other since before the resistance camp and the idea of falling for an android was sounding less and less strange to him. Or maybe he finally reached the limit of his sanity. His money was on the former.

"Enjoying the view?"

Praia laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

Waylon's head quirked to the side at the admission. "What about?"

"How normal this is." Praia stepped away from the tree gesturing to him. "You always here stories about humans and the old world and it paints this picture of what you'd expect."

"Disappointed?"

She shrugged. "No, not disappointed. Just surprised, I suppose. It's not like I was expecting you to swoop down from the sky like an angel or act holier than thou. But it's nice knowing that there are more similarities than expected."

Waylon snorted and crossed his arms. "For all you know, I could be the worst humanity has to offer."

Praia's smile turned mischevious as she reached a hand towards his face. The sensation

of her hand caressing his cheek was not at all unpleasant until she patted him.

"Be that as it may, atleast you're handsome." Any protest from him was snuffed as she guided him back towards their grounded gear. "Come on. We still got a ways to go to reach the rendezvous point."

Waylon grumbled as he tried to calm his heart rate to something normal or atleast as normal as when Praia is present. Hefting his travel pack and rifle was definitely a needed distraction.

"How much farther do we have?"

"Maybe four more hours of trekking. A lot less if I was on my own." The offhanded remark caused Waylon to frown indignantly.

"Well pardon me for slowing you down so much."

"Aww, don't feel bad. I like having this extra time with you." Praia teased nudging him with her elbow.

"It's wonder how you been able to hold yourself back with how blunt you are." Waylon sighed.

A tug on his arm stopped their little trek in it's tracks. Turning to look at his companion, Waylon was more than a little surprised to see the usual carefree smile replaced with an unreadable mask. It was a little unnerving honestly.

"Uh, everything alright?"

Rather than answer, Praia swiftly closed the distance between them. Soft lips connecting with his own before he could even react. Despite how fast it started, the gentleness being shown helped him ease into this new and very welcome sensation. His eyes closed automatically and his hands reached up to cup the soft cheeks before him. Praia pressed closer, her body molding to fit his as she deepened the kiss.

All that tension and anticipation, was finally being let out. Yet, it wasn't chaotic, messy, or ravenous like he was expecting. It was gentle yet full of need and desire. He could feel her hands resting on his chest and shoulders, digging into the fabric like he would disappear if she loosened her grip for even a second.

Unfortunately, like all good things the kiss had to end lest he pass out. Waylon found himself panting as he pulled away and was more than pleased to see that Praia was feeling the same. The only difference now was her eyes. There was a sort of intensity to them now and he couldn't look away.

"We...we should probably get moving?" He didn't mean for it to come out like question but Praia understood without explanation.

Praia nodded as a soft smile played on her lips. "Yeah...yeah. We can discuss this when we're somewhere less exposed."

Praia let her gaze and her hands linger a little longer before finally stepping away and marching forward with a certain lightness to her step now.

Waylon couldn't smother his grin and brought his fingers to his lips. He could still feel the softness lingering and found himself craving another. Unfortunately, Praia was right. They needed to get a move on.

Still, things had definitely changed and it seemed like for once it was for the better.

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 **Hey everybody, just wanted to let you know that I wasn't dead and no I haven't abandoned this story. Between COVID, moving to a new state, and being enrolled in the corrections academy my time has been occupied by work more often than not. A bit of a shorter chapter but I wanted to get something out to y'all. Stay safe out there people.**


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